Fairytale
by existence555
Summary: It was supposed to be the perfect proposal, so how did they end up eating ramen in a training field? ShikaTema oneshot.


**A/N: Hello there people. Those of you who have read my other ShikaTema know how much I appreciate reviews. So, review, review, review!**

Shikamaru had worked hard to make this night perfect. He had worked too hard, in his opinion. In fact, working at all was generally a problem for him, but she was special. His current girlfriend had actually managed to get him to do everything she asked. People weren't sure if it was love or if he was just scared of her.

They were done with training for the day, so Shikamaru led into it with a simple statement.

"Temari, I'll pick you up for dinner tonight around 8," he told her.

"And you just assume that I don't have anything else to do?" she asked.

Her eyebrows were raised and she was glaring at him. Great, he had already managed to ruin asking her out.

"I think that if you have anything else to do, you'll cancel it," Shikamaru grinned in an attempt to save himself.

"Ain't that the truth?" Temari replied, laughing. "You better be there on time, Nara. You know how I don't like to be kept waiting."

A few hours later, Shikamaru was struggling into a suit. He had never worn any troublesome thing like this before, and it was really getting on his nerves. He even had to get Chouji to come over and help him into it.

"Thanks," Shikamaru said, after they finally managed to put it on him.

"No problem," Chouji shrugged. "Don't be nervous tonight, okay? It's going to be perfect."

"No pressure," Shikamaru muttered.

Exactly four seconds later, he heard a ripping sound that seemed to be coming from the area around his shoulder.

"Tell me that wasn't my suit," Shikamaru sighed.

"Can't do that," Chouji laughed.

"I don't have any other suits," Shikamaru told him.

Chouji snickered, thinking that Ino had been right.

"Ino told me this would happen," he replied. "That's why I brought a needle and a string."

He held up a gleaming needle and to Shikamaru's horror, bright pink string.

Shikamaru arrived five minutes early to Temari's temporary apartment, the one she used when she was in Konoha. She was in Konoha a lot these days, so it was quite well furnished. He was pleased to see that there were almost as many pictures of him as there were of her brothers.

"I'm coming!" Temari called. "Just, hold on a second!"

Shikamaru figured that it was worth waiting for, because when she came out, she looked breathtaking.

"You look nice," he offered awkwardly.

"Thank you," Temari beamed.

She eyed the pink stitches that ran up the side of his suit and opened her mouth, but decided not to comment.

"Shall we go then?" Temari asked.

"Yeah," Shikamaru nodded.

He took her hand in his and they walked out the door together, only for Temari to bang her other arm on the side of the door.

"I'm so sorry!" Shikamaru apologized. "Are you okay?"

"I think I'm tougher than a door," Temari retorted irritably. "Let's just go."

Shikamaru looked at the bruise that was starting to bloom on her arm and just shook his head. He had a feeling that this night was not going to be perfect, by any definition of the word.

As they strolled to the restaurant of Shikamaru's choice, they had the great luck of encountering Naruto and Hinata at Ichiraku.

"Shikamaru, what are you wearing?" Naruto snickered. "It makes you look like, I don't know, a bodyguard or something."

"Naruto-kun," Hinata smiled. "I think Shikamaru-kun looks very dressy."

"Maybe he's hoping to score tonight," Naruto winked. "I know I am. That's why I offered to pay today."

Hinata blushed and tried to hide her face from Shikamaru and Temari.

"Please," Temari snorted. "You would so score anyway Naruto."

"That's also true," Naruto nodded. "What about you Shikamaru?"

"Not unless he earns it!" Temari snapped.

Naruto and Hinata exchanged amused looks.

"Whipped," Naruto coughed.

"Like cream," Hinata added with an apologetic smile.

"Yeah yeah," Shikamaru muttered.

"I like cream," Temari remarked.

He started to pull her away.

"Just as much as he likes the whip!" Naruto called after them.

"Ooh sounds kinky," Temari laughed.

Shikamaru groaned. Could this get any more embarrassing?

They had finally reached the restaurant, so Shikamaru coolly walked up to the person in front and told them his name and reservation time.

"Sorry but we don't have a reservation under your name," the girl informed him without looking up.

"Ino?!" Shikamaru exclaimed. "Well, even if I don't, can't you just give me one? Though, I was sure…"

"Sorry sir," Ino replied. "That would be against the rules. Now, there are five groups ahead of you, are you willing to wait?"

"Ino, really?" Shikamaru fumed. "This night is just trying to kill me."

He went back to his girlfriend and sat down, disgruntled.

"We have to wait?" Temari queried.

"Yeah," Shikamaru responded. "Sorry."

"God Shikamaru, ever heard of planning?" she said, shaking her head. "Seriously, when you told me you were going to pick me up at 8, I thought you had a plan."

They sat there for the next half hour, watching the groups ahead, and some other (rich) groups get a table. Temari seemed to be okay with the wait, but Shikamaru certainly was not. He hadn't eaten all day from his nervousness about what was to come, and his stomach was grumbling.

"Shikamaru?" Temari poked him. "Let's get outta here. I know you're hungry, and so am I."

Stupid restaurant. This was supposed to be the place where Shikamaru would propose and they'd come back for all their anniversaries, but no, of course it wouldn't work out.

"Okay," Shikamaru nodded. "Let's go."

They soon figured out that all the restaurants they could find were full. According to the newspapers, it was a good day for lovers. Shikamaru snickered inwardly. Not such a good day for him and his girlfriend, was it? They eventually decided to just pick up some ramen and find somewhere else to sit.

"Well this turned out to be a lame night," Temari remarked, blowing on her steaming ramen. "I love you anyway though, don't worry."

"Yeah," Shikamaru muttered. "I guess it did. That's good to know since I still love you too."

They were in a training area, and if you squinted you could see flecks of blood here and there, not too pretty and certainly not romantic. Shikamaru debated over still proposing? Should he? At night, the moon was out, and it made for quite a magnificent view. That would be a nice image to remember, right?

"This seems like one of those cliché moments," Temari snorted. "Sitting in a flower field, a beautiful night, only the stars watching, and we just said we loved each other. The only thing that ruins it is this ramen."

"Yeah, I suppose," Shikamaru laughed nervously.

"I've always hated those moments," she added. "Like, I mean, a perfect setting, a perfect night, a perfect couple, it's all so absurd. How would anyone ever make that happen in reality?"

Shikamaru mumbled a few incoherent words. Maybe it wasn't such a nice image to remember...

"At the same time when I was a little girl I used to dream about such a moment," Temari smiled fondly. "The moment where my handsome prince would come whisk me away to a beautiful island where we would confess our love for each other and live happily ever after."

She trailed off, laughing a little bit, a sweet sound which contrasted deeply with her personality. Shikamaru had always loved it, the softer side of Temari.

"We may not have an island, but we've got a handsome prince handy," he grinned.

"Where?" Temari squinted. "I don't see one, just a crybaby ninja."

"Hey!" Shikamaru protested. "That was years ago."

"I'll never let you forget it," she teased. "When we get old, I'll still be calling you a crybaby."

"And I'll be calling you troublesome," he replied promptly.

They sat in silence for a moment, and only the sound of ramen being slurped could be heard. As they finished their bowls, Shikamaru realized what she had just said. _When we get old_. She had given him a opening, so naturally, he had to take the plunge. Wasn't that what this whole night had originally been for? He lay down next to her, motioning for her to do the same. The stars were twinkling above them.

"About getting old…" he began.

"Are you calling me old?!" Temari exclaimed incredulously.

"No, of course not!" Shikamaru waved his hands frantically.

She narrowed her eyes at him, evaluating whether he was lying or not. When he stared back innocently, she softened.

"Listen, Temari," he said quietly. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead," she shrugged. "I'm listening."

Shikamaru took a deep breath before continuing on. For once, the lazy ninja was taking a risk. Complex equations, codes, strategies, all of those he could figure out. Temari was pretty much impossible to figure out. In fact, he almost objected to her very existence. It wasn't fair that somebody could be so troublesome and so intoxicating at the same time.

"There's this woman," Shikamaru told her. "And she's the most troublesome person on this entire planet, or even in the entire universe, though I'm not sure about that yet. The thing is, like an idiot, I'm in love with her, so I can't do anything about it. So, I'm thinking that I should probably do the honorable thing and spend the rest of my life with her. What do you think?"

In a rare display of her inner emotions, Temari's eyes began to glisten with the wetness of unshed tears.

"Idiot," she replied finally. "The honorable thing would seem right."

With a smile, she settled herself on top of him, reveling in the scent that was all Shikamaru.

"So how about it then Temari?" he winked. "Will you marry me?"

Though she had been expecting it, Temari couldn't stop her jaw from dropping.

"Yes," she whispered, leaning down to kiss him.

After he managed to disentangle his tongue from hers, Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow.

"That's it?" he smirked. "No teasing, no smart comments? Just a yes?"

"I may be mean," Temari smirked back. "But I'm not stupid. A girl's prince only comes around once in a lifetime. Plus, you'd probably be too lazy to propose again."

"You know me so well," he chuckled.

"Yeah yeah," Temari said briskly.

And like that, the most troublesome kunoichi in the world and the laziest ninja in the world got married.


End file.
